Inflatable toy



April 8, 1952 c, SHUTE 2,592,347

INFLATABLE TOY Filed Sept. 2, 1949 INVENTOR. CHAPLES E. SHUTE Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims; 1.

This; invention relates to a novelty toy and-has particular reference to an attention attracting. device. for: assisting the. userin obtaining a ride.

An; object. of; the; invention is to provide a.

' novelty toyof the. type set forthwhich can be:

easily carried in the pocket of; the-user when not: in use.

Another. object: or the. invention is. to provide: a; novelty toy or the; type set forth. which; can be employed in the spirit. of fun for; obtaining,

a lift. or ride: and. which is relatively simple and.

economical in construction.

Other objects and advantages of: the invention will be apparent from the followingdescriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying.

drawings. It will: be" understood. thatchanges may be made in the details of construction; andv arrangement of parts without departing fromthe. scope of, the invention as; setiorth in the. accompanying claims, as the preferred iorms. have been shown-and described by way of. illustration. only.

. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a. side view,, partly in section, ofone. form of. my device; 7

Fig. 2 is a. view generally similar to Fig. 1 of another form of the invention;

Fig; 3 isa side view of another form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of still another form. of. the. invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout. the several views, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 comprises a. housing portion I which, can be made of metal, cardboard glass tubing or; molded from plastic; material or such, size as to receive the. thumb .or finger '2 ofth'e user which. maybe inserted through the open end in. the housing. I.

Within the housing I is: provided the wall 3 with the aperture '4".

Over the end of the housing I opposite that in which the thumb or finger 2 is to be inserted is positioned a balloon 5 which may be fitted into a recess in the adjacent end of the housing I and which is stretched to fit over the end of the housing I and preferably retained in position by its own resilience, therefore, being quickly changeable or replaceable, or, if desired, could be cemented or otherwise secured in position over the end of housing I.

The hose 6 is secured to housing I at one end and has its opposite end secured toair bulb 1 which is adapted to be retained in the hand of the user whereby operation of theair bulb. will force air into the. housing: chamber '8' and with the aperture 4. closed bythe thumb or finger 2,. the air will inflate. the. balloon. 5 which. may be of. the elongated type-giving. the. appearance of an extra long thumb or finger or the balloon 5 could be of a novelty form. or have. various sayings? printed thereon or a. combination. of'nojvelty iorrn and. saying and could. have luminous or other. glowing paint or. material. thereon for use. especially after. dark.

In. the wall. 3. has. been. eliminated and the interior of. the. housing'closed only the thumb or finger. In this form. the fitting '9 secured to the wall of the housing I by the nuts f0, internally and externally of the housing, and the hose 6' is securedto. the. fitting. '9. Ihave. found that in this form, will wig wagor move back and forth thus-becomin'ggattentio'nattracting;

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, the hose. B'is connected directly tethe v balloon 5 by securing. the hose 6' to thefitting -I I- which-is secured 'directly't'o the balloon 5. by cementing or other 'suitableprocess. Inform the'housingl may be'eithertheform shown :in- Fig; 1 or that. shown in Fig. 21.

Inthis form" the balloons couid-each be formed with an air hoseB and air bulb l secured thereto,

or provision could" be made on'fitting i I whereby the user 'couldchange the-balloon, and "secure the same hose; on" the new" balloon.

(In Fig. {there is shown. a. form of theinv'en tion which could be made wholly of. a resilient materialsuch as rubber.

In. this form of the invention the housing" I: couldjibe-made offmold'ed rubber or the. likewith a hard or. stiii. rubber. portion I21 having an air:

escape opening I31 .the'rethrough and with the resilient. integral. flared extension portion I F4 for a close fit with a finger.

' It will be seen that when the thumb or finger is removed from the interior of the housing in all forms, that the balloon will collapse and al low the placing of the toy in the pocket of the user until again desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided simple, efficient and economical means for obtaining all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a

housing having a finger receiving portion, an air the. form of. the inventionsliownfin Fig. 2,,"

when the air bulb isxoperated, the balloon.

substantially closed when the finger of the user is positioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating with said air passage, and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member to inflate the same when the finger of the user is in position to substantially close said air passage in said housing.

2. In a device of the character described, a housing having a finger receiving portion, an air passage extending therefrom and adapted to be substantially closed by the finger of the user when positioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating with said air passage and an air bulb externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member to inflate the same. when said air passage is substantially closed by the finger of the user.

3. In a device of the character described. a housing having a finger receiving portion, an air passage extending therefrom and adapted to be substantially closed by thefinger of the user when positioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member to inflate the same when said air passage is substantially closed by the finger of the user in said finger receiving portion, said means comprising an air bulb and an air hose connecting said air bulb to said housing.

4. In a device of the character described, a

housing having a finger receiving portion, an air passage extending therefrom and adapted to be substantially closed by the finger of the user when positioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member to inflate the same when said air passage is substantially closed by the finger of the user, said housing having a resilient portion adapted to receive a portion of the finger of the user.

' 5. In a device of the character described, a housing having a finger receiving portion, an air passage extending therefrom and adaptedto be substantially closed .by the finger of the user whenpositioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member to inflate the same when said air passage is substantially closed by the finger of the user, said air forcing means being connected to said inflatable member.

6. In a. device of the character described, a housing having a finger receiving portion, an air passage extending therefrom and adapted to be substantially closed by the finger of the user when positioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable memberwto inflate the same when said air passage is substantially closed by the finger of the user, said air forcing means comprising an air hose connected to said housing and an air bulb connected to said air hose.

7. In a device of the character described, a housing having a finger receiving portion, a reduced air passage extending therefrom and adapted to be substantially closed by the finger of I the user when positioned in said finger receiving portion, an inflatable member connected to said housing and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member to inflate the same when said air passage is substantially closed by the finger ofthe user.

8. In a device of the character described, a housing having a relatively rigid portion and a relatively resilient extension portion adapted to receive a finger of the user, an inflatable member connected to said rigid portion and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into 'said inflatable member.

9. In a device of the character described, a housing having a relatively rigid portion and a relatively resilient extension portion adapted to receive a finger of the user, an inflatable member connected to said rigid portion and communicating therewith and means externally of said housing and communicating with said inflatable member for forcing air into said inflatable member, said air forcing means comprising an air hose connected to said housing and an air-bulb connected to said air hose.

CHARLES E. SHUTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:-

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 2,128,629 Worobjoif Aug. 30, 1938 

